1973–74 Chicago Black Hawks season
The 1973–74 Chicago Black Hawks season was the Hawks' forty-eighth season in the NHL, and the club was coming off their fourth consecutive first place finish in 1972-73, as they finished on top of the West Division with a 42-27-9 record, earning 93 points. The Hawks defeated the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers in the post season before falling to the Montreal Canadiens in the Stanley Cup final.1972-73 NHL Season Summary - Hockey-Reference.com Chicago started off the season slow, as they had a 2-4-4 record in their first ten games, however, the club then went on a nine game unbeaten streak to push themselves over the .500 mark. The Hawks would battle with the Philadelphia Flyers all season long for top spot in the West Division, as Chicago would finish the year with a record of 41-14-23, earning 105 points, which was their third highest total in club history. It was not enough though, as the Flyers dethroned the Black Hawks for top spot in the West, as they finished with 112 points. The 14 losses by Chicago was the fewest by the team in one season, while the 23 ties they recorded was a new team record. 1973-74 Chicago Black Hawks Games - Hockey-Reference.com Offensively, the Black Hawks were led by Stan Mikita, who had a club high 50 assists and 80 points, while Jim Pappin led the team in goals for the second consecutive season, as he scored 32 goals, and finished with 73 points. Pit Martin had another very solid season, scoring 30 goals and 77 points, while Dennis Hull had 29 goals and 68 points. On defense, Dick Redmond emerged as the offensive leader, scoring 17 goals and 59 points, while Bill White recorded 36 points, while having a team high +51 rating. Phil Russell had 10 goals and 35 points, while having a team high 184 penalty minutes. In goal, Tony Esposito led the club with 34 victories and a 2.04 GAA, along with ten shutouts while appearing in 70 games.Chicago Blackhawks goaltending history : Tony Esposito Rookie goaltender Mike Veisor backed up Esposito, going 7-0-2 with a 2.23 GAA in 10 games.Chicago Blackhawks goaltending history : Mike Veisor Chicago tied the Philadelphia Flyers with the fewest goals against in the league at 164, as both Tony Esposito and the Flyers Bernie Parent would share the Vezina Trophy for their achievements. The Hawks opened the playoffs against the Los Angeles Kings, who had a record of 33-33-12, earning 78 points, while placing third in the West Division. The series opened with two games at Chicago Stadium, and the Black Hawks used their home ice to their advantage, defeating the Kings 3-1 and 4-1 to take a 2-0 series lead. The series shifted to the The Forum in Los Angeles for the next two games, and the Hawks would continue to shutdown the Kings in the third game, shutting them out 1-0. Los Angeles would avoid the sweep by easily handling the Black Hawks 5-1 to send the series back to Chicago. In the fifth game, the Hawks, led by Tony Esposito, would shutout Los Angeles by a score of 1-0 to eliminate the Kings from the playoffs. Chicago's next opponent was the Boston Bruins, who had finished the season with a 52-17-9 record, earning 113 points, and a first place finish in the East Division. The Bruins swept the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. The series opened up with two games at the Boston Garden, but it was Chicago who struck first, doubling the Bruins 4-2 in the series opener. Boston responded in the second game, winning a wild game 8-6 to even the series. The next two games were played in Chicago, and the Black Hawks once again took the series lead, defeating Boston 4-3 in overtime, however, the Bruins once again came back, winning the fourth game 5-2 to even the series once again. The fifth game was back in Boston, and the Bruins took their first series lead, dominating Chicago by a score of 6-2. Boston would clinch the series in the sixth game, winning 4-2 on Chicago ice to eliminate the Black Hawks from the post-season. Season standings Game log Regular Season Chicago Black Hawks 4, Los Angeles Kings 1 Boston Bruins 4, Chicago Black Hawks 2 Season stats Scoring leaders Goaltending Playoff stats Scoring leaders Goaltending Draft picks Chicago's draft picks at the 1973 NHL Amateur Draft held at the Mount Royal Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. References Sources *Hockey-Reference *Rauzulu's Street *Goalies Archive *HockeyDB *National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007 Category:Chicago Blackhawks seasons Category:1973 in hockey Category:1974 in hockey